Melbourne authorities propose ‘safe zones’ for women

Melbourne is looking at introducing “safe havens” for women in its central areas amid rising public concern over violence perpetrated against women.

Robert Doyle, Melbourne's lord mayor, has proposed safety zones for women within the city. The idea, part of a wider plan to tackle violence against women in public, in the workplace and at home, will be put to Melbourne council for ratification on Tuesday .

It’s unclear how the proposed safe havens will exactly work, although Mr Doyle told 3AW that they will be “well lit - they’re often patrolled by CCTV”.

He added: “It shouldn’t feel like it’s a guarded or a gated community, it’s really about better design to make it feel safer.

“We are going to be the first capital city to put out a policy around what we can do to prevent violence against women. We’re not suggesting that a city can be the whole answer.

“I’m hopeful that we can make a difference about it, because I reckon it’s the worst violence problem that we face at the moment.”

The issue of violence against women has come into sharp focus in the city since the rape and murder of Drogheda woman Jill Meagher last September.

Adrian Bayley was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 35 years in June after pleading guilty to the offences .

Earlier this month, a man punched and sexually assaulted a woman after following her along King Street, while police yesterday released CCTV images of a man whom police want to question after two women were indecently assaulted in the city.

Tomorrow, a candlelit vigil will be held in memory of Tracy Connelly, who was killed in St Kilda.

In the wake of the Meagher murder, the state government handed $250,000 to Melbourne council to install new CCTV cameras, although the council has said the money isn’t enough to cover the nine new cameras it wants to set up.

Rita Butera, executive director of Women's Health Victoria, which has run a campaign to reduce violence against women, said that a more wide-ranging strategy was required to tackle the problem.

“It’s very important to be able to walk safely around your community. It’s a human right that all women should have,” she said.

“A community safety strategy isn’t a bad thing, but it needs to be part of a bigger strategy as it’s just not enough on its own. The perception of safety is important but I’m not sure how effective extra surveillance actually is.

“There needs to be different approaches around the responsible serving of alcohol, which I don’t think is currently working in Melbourne. Also transport is a big issue - other cities have free public transport on weekends but ours stops between 1am and 7am, leaving people stranded in the city.

“There needs to be a focus on education and giving men the tools to stand up to violence and show that it’s unacceptable. The high-profile murder cases are making women much more aware of safety, but we can’t forget domestic violence, which is where the vast majority of violence against women occurs.”

Guardian Service